Over the Christmas holidays I was lucky to get to visit Hong Kong. It's a beautiful city with some fantastic views, excellent restaurants, and creative architecture. The steep hills are great for a workout, though I admit we did occasionally get lazy and take the escalators that snake their way up the hills! The collection of the cars on the road was interesting: while some models were the ones I typically see in Shanghai, there were many Japanese models as well. The most common car was the Toyota Crown taxi, just like in Tokyo, and the Japanese connection seems even stronger when you consider that cars in Hong Kong have the steering wheel on the ride side, just like in Japan.

Another common vehicular theme was luxury. Fancy cars were everywhere, including lots of high-end sports cars and SUVs. Mercedes was especially popular, with their entire range on display all over the city. And while some of the shiny new ones were nice, it was a couple of oldies that I liked the most.

This fantastic old Mercedes sedan was parked in a garage below an apartment building near the top of the 'Peak'. Close to the visitors center, the homes and apartments near the top of Hong Kong's highest peak look very exclusive. The guard at the complex came out when I entered the parking lot to take a picture, but agreed to let me take a second one. I didn't get to check the model, but looking online it appears to be a Mercedes Benz 200, built between 1968 and 1976. There was a bit of rain on the windshield, so the car had been out for a recent drive when I saw it. I was glad to see it wasn't a parked and abandoned relic, but still got to stretch its legs (and brakes) on the steep inclines above Hong Kong.

Another gorgeous car carrying the iconic '3 pointed star' logo was the 450 SEL 6.9 that I saw further down the hill, still on Hong Kong island. This top-end model was built between 1975 and 1981, and features a massive 6.9L V8 engine and a hydraulic self-levelling suspension (which was actually the Citroen system introduced in the DS). The paint still had a nice shine, and everything about this car looked perfect. I didn't see the owner, but I'm sure they wouldn't have minded their old car attracting some attention!

A final Benz worthy of mention is the big and bulky G-Class. The G is the ultimate in off-road vehicles, and while I don't know if this one ever saw more trying terrain than the Gucci and Prada shops during the Boxing Day sale, it looked ready to attack anything with big knobby tires, a bush grille, and a snorkel.

Even without the cars, Hong Kong is a fascinating city to visit, and I'll definitely get back for a longer stay one day. I'll just consider seeing these great Mercedes models as a little bonus this time!